Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Have you ever felt like you’re all alone even if you’re standing in a crowded room?

Have you ever felt abandoned or forgotten by God? Have you ever felt like you just don’t have the strength to get out of bed in the morning?

Have you ever cried yourself to sleep?

Have you ever felt like you’d never be happy again?

Are you feeling this way right now?

If so, you’re not alone.

Some of the greatest theologians and preachers to ever walk this earth have struggled with depression.

Charles Spurgeon struggled with depression for a majority of his life.

Throughout Scripture we see many wrestle with it.

The prophet Elijah fled into the wilderness out of fear for his life because his enemies were after him.

And it was there in the wilderness that he asked God to take his life.

1 Kings 19:4 (ESV)

“It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

He didn’t want to live anymore.

David often wrested with deep anguish, loneliness, and despair.

His sin would cause him great grief.

Psalm 38:4 (ESV)

For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

Do we need to go much further than Job?

A man who suffered great loss and though he had faith, struggled with despair.

Job 3:26 (ESV)

“I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes.”

Job 10:1 (ESV)

“I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

Job 30:15–17 (ESV)

Terrors are turned upon me; my honor is pursued as by the wind, and my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.

“And now my soul is poured out within me; days of affliction have taken hold of me.

The night racks my bones, and the pain that gnaws me takes no rest.

And what do we see from Psalm 42 today?

Psalm 42:3 (ESV)

My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?”

Psalm 42:5 (ESV)

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?

Psalm 42:9 (ESV)

I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

Now, whether or not you’ve struggled with depression for the vast majority of your life, or throughout different seasons of your life, all of us can relate to or at least understand the feelings of loneliness, melancholy, discouragement and despair.

Because we’ve all experienced it to some degree in our lives.

Some of us in here have walked through seasons of severe depression.

Despairing of life itself.

For others, maybe you haven’t experienced the severity of spiritual depression but you for sure have faced discouragement, sadness, hurt and loneliness.

That’s life in a broken world.

That’s life as broken, fallen people.

So, is there a solution?

Is there a cure?

I believe so.

This psalm and next week’s psalm talks about how to deal with despair.

It talks about how to fight through the darkness; to literally fight, by God’s grace for joy and hope.

And for those who fight for it, fight for joy, fight for hope, fight through the darkness will find refuge in the presence of God.

As the psalmist says, “I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” Meaning, for God’s child, despair and gloom do not have the final say in our lives.

We all need this Psalm because all of us will battle discouragement and despair throughout our lives.

So, whether you’re needing this right now, or will be needing this in the future, this Psalm shows us how to fight for hope through the darkness.

Context

This 42nd psalm kicks off Book Two of the Psalms.

And we’re introduced to a new author.

In Book One of the Psalms, David authored 37 of the 41 psalms.

Psalms 1 & 2 are introductory and two others psalms have no opening ascription.

David is the only author identified in Book One.

Book Two is going to introduce us to a variety of authors.

A large section will still be authored by David, but we’ll also read psalms by Asaph, Solomon, and here in Psalm 42, a song written by the Sons of Korah.

In fact, for the next several weeks the psalms we’ll walk through will be written by the Sons of Korah.

Quick background.

The Korahites were Levites.

Obviously they were descendents of Korah who interestingly enough in Numbers 16 led a rebellion against Moses while they were wandering in the wilderness.

Korah sought to overthrow Moses which brought upon himself God’s swift judgment.

The sons and descendents of Korah were spared however and it was David then who years later gave these sons, these descendents the responsibility of leading the music in the temple.

And so, for a lack of a better word, these men were worship leaders who were writing and producing songs of worship to be used in the temple for God’s people to sing.

Overview

We find here the psalmist far away from the temple in Jerusalem which is where his community was.

It was where his job was.

Where he was useful.

It’s where he met with God in an intimate way through worship in the temple.

He’s taunted and oppressed by his enemies, perhaps in captivity and being drug away from his home.

He’s spiritually depressed.

His soul is downcast, he feels forgotten by God.

Yet, he yearns for God’s presence.

He fights through the darkness and speaks truth to his weary heart and soul.

This psalm is going to answer two questions for us.

What are the causes of spiritual depression?

Spiritual dryness, weariness, discouragement.

Loss of joy and intimacy with God.

Feelings of forgottenness or abandonment.

A downcast soul.

That’s what I mean by spiritual depression.

What’s the cure for spiritual depression?

Body

Let’s look first at the causes.

I see five causes that this psalm mentions.

There are undoubtedly more, but this is where we’ll begin.

Cause number one: Absence from God’s presence and God’s people.

Now, I want to be careful here because we know God is omnipresent.

He is everywhere.

Even the psalmists understood this truth.

Psalm 139:7–8 (ESV)

Where shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

Even this psalmist, this son of Korah understood this truth for he was speaking and praying to God in the night.